News

The best way to run schools

WHILE a ban on running and games in some primary school playgrounds might seem like an overreaction (News, last week), surely parents’ groups could play a role here in explaining that genuine accidents happen in playgrounds, where often hundreds of children are moving and running in a confined space.

I’ve seen such accidents shamelessly exploited to the hilt. While not all parents are conversant with the workings of a school, these parents were predominantly well-heeled and articulate.

Maybe Fionnuala Kilfeather might allow herself to become more informed of what is happening on the ground. I’ve little doubt also, that the practice of having unsuitable and even unqualified people on boards is still widespread — not to mention the fact that nobody I am aware of has received proper training (if any) for this often very onerous task. (This training was of course promised in the 1998 education act.) Maybe, if teachers